Bone marrow donation is safe, complications are rare and usually minor. If the donor’s bone marrow cells are extracted from the hip, he/she will be under anesthesia. It is a minor surgical procedure.  Recovery takes several days due to minor hip pain.  If the donor’s cells are collected from the bloodstream, the donor will receive series of stem cell stimulators (ex: neupogen) before the collection date.  The collection day procedure is similar to donating blood but takes longer. The procedure will take up to 6 hours and will be completed when the cell concentration is adequate for the donor.